RememberSchiff

@Rches welcome to scouter.com

Update 8/8/2019: Members of the local Boy Scout community asked officials of the statewide organization a lot of questions about the pending sale of the Silver Trails Scout Reservation this week. .... Over and over, for more than two hours, scouts and their supporters said the community wasn’t properly informed on the process. Some didn’t agree with the council's assessment that Silver Trails wasn’t sustainable long term or with how scouting funds have been appropriated. ... Chuck Truza, of the MCC’s board of directors, said the MCC wanted to host town halls and round tables to properly explain the deal with Mid-Michigan, in an effort to be transparent. The gesture, he said, followed the years-long consolidation of Boy Scout organizations across the state and the closure of other camps. And in that time, he admitted, communication was a problem. More at source link including second buyer who appeared to conserve property but to no avail. https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2019/08/08/local-boy-scout-community-silver-trails-sale-going-hurt-scouting/1952882001/

An update: Russell Ruth, 34, aka "Captain Rick" was convicted of possessing child pornography including prepubescent images, and sentenced to 80 months in federal prison. He was employed at the Babcock Hovey Scout Camp in Ovid which is operated by the Seneca Waterways Council in New York. His duties focused on teaching scouts fire building, knot tying and other outdoors skills. He was recognized in 2017 for 25 years of participation at the Scout camp. The sentencing is the result of investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly. Ruth had faced up to 10 years in prison. https://www.syracuse.com/news/2019/08/former-boy-scout-camp-employee-gets-5-years-in-prison-for-child-porn.html https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/08/07/russell-ruth-former-boy-scout-leader-sentenced-child-porn-possession/1948629001/ https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/former-boy-scout-employee-going-federal-prison-possession-child-pornography

Not much, was that next to the cannabis* tent with CBD only? Give a mouse a cookie... My $0.02, Note the cannabis tent was sarcasm. RS

We still rake, stack wood, shovel but more and more our scouts are doing tech projects for the town and senior center. From Boy Scout Troop 213, Superior, Minnesota : Participants (senior citizens) are encouraged to bring their cell phone, tablet, computer or other device for one-on-one help with Janicki (Eagle candidate) and four of his fellow scouts. “I was also thinking of teaching them to use Google and YouTube,” he said. Van Sickle often fields questions from seniors about connecting to wireless internet, downloading voicemails and using email. “Some of just these basic, everyday tasks, but because everyone has a different phone … it can be challenging, so we want to make sure people aren’t left behind,” she said. As part of the project, Van Sickle suggested adding web cameras to the computer center to allow seniors to video chat with relatives. “They turn off their computers during the nighttime and these computers were scheduled to get updates during the nighttime,” Janicki said. “So they were years behind with their updates.” “I think it’s great,” center manager Jenny Van Sickle said. “Something we get all the time is robocalls, security calls. We have people here who have had close calls. This scamming is prevalent and it’s serious.” Janicki, a Superior High School sophomore, said protecting yourself from scams online is a skill that’s essential when using computers, especially public computers. It can include remembering to log out of email accounts, watching site names closely and not saving items to a computer's desktop. “There’s tons of ways scammers can get money out of you, but it’s actually really easy to combat that using some simple browsing tips,” the scout said. More of a very interesting story at source link. https://www.superiortelegram.com/business/technology/4054327-Eagle-Scouts-project-eyes-cybersecurity-for-seniors P.S. Nice, familiar-looking but less dusty HP workstation in link photo

@Jburts911 welcome to scouter.com

I thought the 2017 National Jamboree at Summit which had 30,000? in attendance was training for a World Jamboree (40,000) two years later there. Summit was designed for 70-80,000.

Likely true. As I recall, organizers were complying with WOSM Jamboree requirements and local laws. I do not know the WOSM requirements, if any, regarding shooting sports. My guess, shooting sports will be limited to archery at the next Jamboree in South Korea. Archery is HUGE in South Korea which has developed some of the world's top archers. Could be wrong. My $0.02,

2012: nine Michigan councils consolidated into the Michigan Crossroad Council. The move was sold as a cost saver that will improve scouting by streamlining operations. The land sales quickly followed the consolidation and some local Scouts say it appeared to be a land grab. In the last five years alone, the Michigan Crossroads Council of Boy Scouts, which oversees scouting in Lower Michigan, has netted more than $5 million by selling five camps covering more than 2,000 acres. That figure could more than double if planned sales go through. Camp Tapico near Kalkaska, Camp Holaka in Lapeer County, Camp Agawam in Orion Township, Camp Muscootah in Hillsdale and the Northwoods Scout Reservation near West Branch have been sold since 2014. The Silver Trails Scout Reservation near Port Huron is in the process of being sold. Two other large camps, Paul Bunyan in Rose City and the Lost Lake in Farwell, are up for sale. 8 camps since 2014? Weak finances are driving the sales. A Free Press review of the council's most recent financial audits shows the state organization sustained operational losses of $5.5 million for 2013-17. That means that on average, council expenses exceeded revenues by about $92,000 a month for five years. More details at source, including current sale of Silver Trails directly, no realtor, to a local gravel company. The proposed sale has angered local residents and other fans of the property. Almost 5,000 people have signed an online petition to save the property as natural area. Also there are details of Council's financial troubles and membership drop, 68,000 in 2014 to about 61,000 last year. Source: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/08/04/boy-scouts-michigan-campgrounds/1868668001/ Related earlier topics:

This report states 1M rounds of ammunition.

...other scouts will remember their first, and for some of them, only opportunity to shoot firearms at the Summit’s shooting sports complex -- the second largest in the U.S. ... Summit Director of Shooting Sports Dick Heft said he spoke with many scouts who had never seen or held a firearm and likely would never again as it’s illegal in their countries. He even got an email from the government of Belgium indicating that their scouts should not be allowed to handle firearms. Heft responded matter-of-factly that his staff would not screen scouts. “That’s not our job,” Heft said. “That’s a political issue, and this is not a political venue. We’re here to safely provide a fun activity. And that’s what we’re doing.” In a single day, Heft saw more than 12,000 scouts go through the shooting sports, discharging up to 70,000 rounds of ammunition. ( 5 to 6 rounds each? -RS ) https://www.wvpublic.org/post/wva-hosts-tens-thousands-scouts-around-world#stream/0 @Oldscout448 @ShootingSports

@Harumph welcome to scouter.com

@Barkley421 welcome to scouter.com.

Another out-of-council possibility? Wood Badge 2019 Gilwell Park, United Kingdom August 4-10, 2019 This Wood Badge course will be an experience you will never forget! https://scoutingevent.com/802-Woodbadge2019

Moderator note: I split the nude swimming posts, which were unrelated to OP, to a new topic. The topic title can be changed.

In my neck of the woods, sales of camp t-shirts, sweatshirts, MB booklets have increased over previous summers.

Back to OP, MARSHFIELD, WI – For the first time in the 100 year history of Boy Scouts of America, young women are able to join the organization. Recently a new troop was formed in the Marshfield area for females between the ages of 11 and 17 – Troop 9392. Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc., will invest $1,000 in this new troop, as part of its Employee-Driven Corporate Giving grant program. Each month Security Health Plan awards a $1,000 grant to a different charity or organization that is nominated by a Marshfield Clinic Health System employee. Employees are encouraged to nominate organizations making a positive difference in the community. An anonymous Marshfield Clinic Health System employee nominated the troop for the grant. Julie Degner said the grant is appreciated and she welcomes the support for the newly-formed troop. Degner serves on the committee for this troop and said the young women in the troop are working to strengthen their individual character, citizenship, leadership, mental fitness and physical fitness. She said this organization is giving young females an opportunity to grow their leadership skills in a way that was unavailable to them in the past. @WisconsinMomma more at source: https://www.hubcitytimes.com/2019/07/28/security-health-plan-invests-in-youth-scout-troop-for-young-women/

@MarkBrownsky welcome to scouter.com

"Opportunities Inc. and the Boy Scouts of America Caddo Area Council (TX) are working together to start scouting troops for children and adults with disabilities. One of the troops will be for adult males, one for adult females and another for children and one restricted for children in kindergarten through second grade." http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/texarkana/story/2019/jul/29/boy-scouts-council-create-troops-those-disabilities/788467/

Scout Salute to Denver Channel 7, Scheels, and the many contributers. https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/contact7/crash-leaves-denver-area-scout-troop-without-their-camping-equipment-or-a-way-to-haul-it https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/contact7/boy-scout-troop-that-lost-trailer-in-crash-gets-a-shopping-spree-thanks-to-denver7-viewers

A group of Girl Scouts on a trip deep within Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was successfully evacuated early Saturday. The group reportedly was affected by a lightning strike while on Knife Lake, as severe storms rolled across the wilderness area Friday evening. The storms produced gusty winds, some hail and lightning as they swept across the Arrowhead region. Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes and Pines spokesperson Nancy McMullen said the group is from Chicago and that "everyone is safe." "The lead guide called in the lightning strike, per protocol, informed authorities of their exact location per the planned route, and said 'they believe that lightning struck the ground and they might have experienced ground current," McMullen said in an online statement. More at source: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/07/26/girl-scouts-party-hit-by-lightning-in-boundary-waters https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/rescue-underway-after-girl-scouts-struck-by-lightning-in-boundary-waters

@Budmaniak welcome to scouter.com

In my experience, the more easily something can be stolen, the more likely it will. If it wasn't for boxes labelled prime-for-stealing on doorsteps, I bet more scout trailers would get attention from thieves.

"Out of the more than 40,000 scouts attending the jamboree, 40 percent are female." Interesting in the news video, the female BSA Scout interviewed was captioned as a "U.S. Scout". https://wchstv.com/news/local/females-make-up-40-percent-of-scouts-at-world-scout-jamboree

IMO, youth naturally form groups or gangs for good or bad. In Scouting, we take those groups further by teaching and guiding scouts into responsible, cooperative, disciplined, self-lead patrols - the Patrol Method. From @Kudu website http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/system/3_patrol_organization.htm